Huckabee wins Republican contest in Kansas

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won the Republican presidential contest in Kansas on Saturday, Fox News Channel projected, showing signs of life in a nominating race front-runner John McCain has nearly sewed up.

The win for Huckabee followed a strong showing in the South earlier in the week, when the Baptist minister won four Southern states and West Virginia in "Super Tuesday" voting involving nearly half of U.S. states.

Huckabee vowed earlier in the day, during an appearance at a conference of conservative activists, to continue his shoestring campaign that has appealed to social and religious conservatives.

"Am I quitting? Let's get that settled right now. No, I'm not," Huckabee said at the conference.

Victory for McCain, an Arizona senator, is almost certain after his chief rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, dropped out on Thursday. Huckabee is now his only major opponent and is running a distant second.

McCain has rolled up more than 700 of the 1,191 delegates needed to win the Republican nomination at this summer's nominating convention.

But McCain still faces widespread opposition from conservatives unhappy with his views on immigration, tax cuts and other issues. Huckabee said he would continue his campaign at least until McCain captured the decisive number of delegates.

"I know that I won't drop out until at least that happens and then we'll see," he told reporters after his speech, denying he was hoping to become McCain's vice-presidential running mate.